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OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 1:23 am
by scotws
I find this somewhat hard to believe myself, but the first prototype of the Übersquirrel is up and running. The wires are a mess, it's still missing a bunch of parts, but OMG I have actually built a working computer!
As it stands, it's a WDC65c02 with 1.8 MHz, 32 kb RAM, 8 kb ROM (soon to be expanded to 16 kb), and a MC6850 for the serial port running at 28.800 baud (thanks, Mario!). I'll be adding the second ROM block and a VIA 65c22, do some more work on the OS, and then figure out how to wire wrap the final version.
However, first and foremost: Thanks so much to everybody here in the forum who has been such great help the last few months and made this moment possible. I couldn't have done it without you guys. You're a great group of people.
(Oh, and the cat -- black blob on the right -- helped, too, I guess, though my heart stopped briefly yesterday when she almost walked over the breadboard.)
And now I really, really have to take my very big smile to bed.
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 3:39 am
by BigDumbDinosaur
I find this somewhat hard to believe myself, but the first prototype of the Übersquirrel is up and running. The wires are a mess, it's still missing a bunch of parts, but OMG I have actually built a working computer!
Break out the bubbly! It's always an immensely satisfying feeling of accomplishment when something into which you've put so much time and effort works on the first try.
(Oh, and the cat -- black blob on the right -- helped, too, I guess, though my heart stopped briefly yesterday when she almost walked over the breadboard.)
Worse that her walking on it would be her...ah...er...relieving herself on it.
- "Christening" the computer.
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 9:07 am
by mkl0815
Yeah, it's nearly impossible to describe the feeling if you turn it on and it works. Only a few characters in a terminal window generated by a bunch of wires making the world stop for a moment.
Congratulations for getting the Übersquirrel to life.
Mario.
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 11:46 am
by ElEctric_EyE
Congratulations! The first time is always special.
Good luck with the next chapter of WW. My recommendation is to leave what you have now alone, do not touch it! This way you'll have a reference to work from for the next stage.
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:53 pm
by Justin
Congrats!!!
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:28 pm
by lordbubsy
Congratulations scotws!
I had the same feeling recently.
I can’t take it apart (yet)...
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 6:26 pm
by Michael
Way to go, scotws. Congratulations...
Re: OMG it's alive!
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:32 pm
by scotws
Thanks everybody. EE, I was actually clever enough to buy two of everything, so I can build the finished version in parallel. Really helps with the software, I'm getting to the limits of what I can do with the emulator (WAI for for the main routine will probably be the last straw). This is why the interrupt system will go in last. At least that's the idea.